When I went home that night, I was a completely different person. My first day in New York was not eventful by any standard but it definitely was monumental for me, one for the books so to say. It was a day that marked a personal milestone that I never thought was achievable not by a long shot yet there I was, in the city of my dreams.
I took the subway on my way home to Queens. When I got off the platform and found my way to the streets, there was a certain feeling of fulfillment that was overwhelming. As I was relishing the walk home, I slipped and fell on my bum. Anticlimactic. Of the things that I prepared for in coming to NYC, I failed to look up black ice. I was quick to get back on my feet and grateful for the fact that it was in the middle of the night and the street was bare, not much people to see the fumble I just made. It would have been completely embarrassing had it happened in daylight. As I stepped inside my aunt's house, a feeling of belonging rushed inside me. I felt that everything about that day and all that had happened made sense, as if NYC beckoned me to come home like a bird who left his nest to learn how to fly and is now home to clean his feathers.
It never occurred to me that traveling was a fulfilling endeavor until my first trip to Europe with my parents. It was my mum's idea and I just agreed to it because she was so persistent. It was her who ignited a fire in me, that of a sense of wonder and excitement from seeing the world and experiencing its life. That night, I said a silent prayer, hoping that it would reach mum. It was a prayer of thanksgiving for waking up my sense of wonder and adventure. When I hit the sack that night, I was filled with a renewed sense of excitement for the day that is to come. Another day to explore the city that has held such a magical place in my thoughts and heart. I bid the world good night and dozed off, ecstatic to say the least.
Waking up to another New York morning was as magical as the moment when I landed in Chicago. It was full of promises of discovery and new experiences. Creating memories surely is a great investment because even if a long time has passed, the memory and the feelings attached to those memories live on as if it was just yesterday. When I stepped out to the streets of NYC that morning, I already had the day planned out. I had a list of places to see and things to do but the most important was to see Grand Central station. In an earlier post I talked about my obsession with the TV series Gossip Girl. It is this obsession that led me to go see Grand Central station first thing that day. As I got off the platform at Grand Central, a familiar sense of excitement and giddy coursed again through my veins. I matched the pace of the commuters walking out to the lobby of the station. Then, there it was, the lobby of Grand Central. The sensation of standing in the middle of that lobby looking around all of its corners to take in as much of it as possible is indescribable. The kid in me felt all giddy. I was awestruck beyond measure. I made my way to the famous stairs where the opening scene of Gossip Girl was shot. In that moment, all cares and worries that I had dissipated. It was as if the world was anew and I was its only inhabitant.
I stayed inside the station for what seemed like an eternity when it was actually only an hour. As I pushed the revolving door of the exit, a powerful sense of accomplishment washed over me. That feeling was only eclipsed by the poignant realization of my mum's absence. I did not however let that dampen my spirit because I still had a wonderful day ahead of me. If we allow sadness to rule our lives, nothing will ever be accomplished. I for one, was not willing to forego the experience that awaited me that day. I worked too damn hard to let anything or anyone stand in the way of my dreams.
I took the subway on my way home to Queens. When I got off the platform and found my way to the streets, there was a certain feeling of fulfillment that was overwhelming. As I was relishing the walk home, I slipped and fell on my bum. Anticlimactic. Of the things that I prepared for in coming to NYC, I failed to look up black ice. I was quick to get back on my feet and grateful for the fact that it was in the middle of the night and the street was bare, not much people to see the fumble I just made. It would have been completely embarrassing had it happened in daylight. As I stepped inside my aunt's house, a feeling of belonging rushed inside me. I felt that everything about that day and all that had happened made sense, as if NYC beckoned me to come home like a bird who left his nest to learn how to fly and is now home to clean his feathers.
It never occurred to me that traveling was a fulfilling endeavor until my first trip to Europe with my parents. It was my mum's idea and I just agreed to it because she was so persistent. It was her who ignited a fire in me, that of a sense of wonder and excitement from seeing the world and experiencing its life. That night, I said a silent prayer, hoping that it would reach mum. It was a prayer of thanksgiving for waking up my sense of wonder and adventure. When I hit the sack that night, I was filled with a renewed sense of excitement for the day that is to come. Another day to explore the city that has held such a magical place in my thoughts and heart. I bid the world good night and dozed off, ecstatic to say the least.
Waking up to another New York morning was as magical as the moment when I landed in Chicago. It was full of promises of discovery and new experiences. Creating memories surely is a great investment because even if a long time has passed, the memory and the feelings attached to those memories live on as if it was just yesterday. When I stepped out to the streets of NYC that morning, I already had the day planned out. I had a list of places to see and things to do but the most important was to see Grand Central station. In an earlier post I talked about my obsession with the TV series Gossip Girl. It is this obsession that led me to go see Grand Central station first thing that day. As I got off the platform at Grand Central, a familiar sense of excitement and giddy coursed again through my veins. I matched the pace of the commuters walking out to the lobby of the station. Then, there it was, the lobby of Grand Central. The sensation of standing in the middle of that lobby looking around all of its corners to take in as much of it as possible is indescribable. The kid in me felt all giddy. I was awestruck beyond measure. I made my way to the famous stairs where the opening scene of Gossip Girl was shot. In that moment, all cares and worries that I had dissipated. It was as if the world was anew and I was its only inhabitant.
I stayed inside the station for what seemed like an eternity when it was actually only an hour. As I pushed the revolving door of the exit, a powerful sense of accomplishment washed over me. That feeling was only eclipsed by the poignant realization of my mum's absence. I did not however let that dampen my spirit because I still had a wonderful day ahead of me. If we allow sadness to rule our lives, nothing will ever be accomplished. I for one, was not willing to forego the experience that awaited me that day. I worked too damn hard to let anything or anyone stand in the way of my dreams.
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